


Fever

by TDKeh16



Series: Tumblr Fics and Prompts [27]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bitty worries that Jack has a fever, Fever, Fluff, Jack realizes how he feels about Bitty, M/M, One Shot, taking care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:52:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDKeh16/pseuds/TDKeh16
Summary: Jack had a plan: get clean, go to Samwell, graduate, join the NHL. He didn't plan on meeting Eric Bittle.





	

**Author's Note:**

> From the prompt: "Person A has given up on love. Nope. Love is not for them. Forget that…. And then they meet person B and think; 'Annnd this is the asshole who will ruin everything.'"

Jack Zimmermann had a plan. He would get clean, he would get a university degree, and then he would get into the NHL. He would find redemption, not only in the eyes of everyone who doubted him, but himself. It was a good plan. A solid plan. A plan that left no room for deviation. It was all going well...

Until this little shit came along.

Eric Bittle. The blond with the funny American accent and a penchant for baking had blown into his life like a pint-sized tornado, shaking Jack down to his foundation.

No. This was not part of the plan. It was good to make friends amongst his teammates, but this was different. He was supposed to focus on hockey, and his history degree. That's it. He was not supposed to be getting distracted by things like pies, or how his attractive hausmate's legs managed to look both slender _and_ muscular in those red shorts, or... Wait. _Attractive?_ Shit. No. This was _not_ part of the plan. No.

"Jack?" Bitty said with a curious smile.

"No!" Jack snapped back into focus, but his unexpectedly loud response made the smaller man jump. "Oh, Bittle. Sorry. What?"

"Are you thirsty?" Bitty bent over as he grabbed a bottle of water from the bottom shelf of the fridge. That would have been a loaded question, had Jack been familiar with urban dictionary. Bitty pressed the cold bottle to the nape of his neck and let out a sigh. "It's warm out today. I think the A/C might be on the fritz again. Do you think Dex would know how to fix it?" He brought the open bottle up to his lips and took a gulp, a few drops of water slipping out the corner of his mouth and blazing a trail down the sun-kissed skin of his neck towards his collarbone.

No. This was not part of the plan. Hockey. Degree. Redemption. NHL. If he licked that little trail of water, from Bitty's collarbone up to his jaw, how would it taste? Salty? No! Plan! Hockey! Playoffs. Studying. Bitty. Degree. Bitty. Kissing Bitty. No! Hockey. Redemption. Bitty! NHL. Touching Bitty! Calder Trophy. NHL! Fucking Bitty. No!

"Jack!"

Jack covered his mouth. "Did I say something?"

Bitty's brow furrowed. "You haven't said _**anything**_. Are you feeling alright? Don't tell me you went out for a jog this afternoon dressed like _that_. Maybe you have heatstroke, let me feel..." He wiped the condensation from the water bottle onto his shirt to dry his hand, before placing it on Jack's forehead. "Darn. My hand's too cold to tell. You're really sweating, though. Come with me."

Bitty took Jack by the arm and led him upstairs. Jack stood dumbfounded in his own bedroom while Bitty rooted around in the bathroom in search of a thermometer. He stood on his tiptoes to grab it from the top shelf of the medicine cabinet, and his shirt rode up a little, exposing his toned abs. Jack was not sure about the heatstroke, but there _was_ a slight chance that Bitty had purposely chosen that outfit with the intent to kill him.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and strip, mister. Who goes out for a run in this kind of heat dressed entirely in black? Jeez..."

"Huh?"

"Jack... Okay, sit down. We're checking that temperature. You're really worrying me."

The moment Jack sat down on the edge of his bed, his black t-shirt was pulled over his head by Bitty. "Whoa!" He opened his mouth to voice his surprise, and found the thermometer instead.

"Shh. Give it a minute," Bitty returned to the bathroom and wet a few washcloths, hurrying back when he heard the thermometer beep. "Well? What does it say?"

"100.1 degrees."

"Well, it's probably not heatstroke... But that's still too warm. Lie down. Let's get that temperature down a degree or two, okay?" He gently pressed Jack's shoulder until he gave in and lied down on his back. He tugged on Jack's pant leg. "These. Lose 'em. You're wearing underwear, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Jack was not sure that was the best idea at the moment.

"Are you feeling weak? Dizzy? Do you need my help?"

" _No!_ " Jack gripped the waist of his pants. It was already a bad idea to strip down to his underwear, but Bitty doing it for him would be the worst. "I, uh-- I can do it..." He lifted his hips off the bed and pulled his pants down over his knees, kicking them off his feet to the floor.

"Feeling better? A little cooler, at least?" Bitty smiled, making a point not to look at the lower half of Jack's body. The older man nodded his head. "Any nausea? Do you have a headache?"

"No."

"That's good. This should be an easy fix then," Bitty took one of the cool damp cloths and folded it, placing it gently on Jack's forehead. He placed another cool cloth across his chest.

Jack grabbed Bitty's wrist instinctively when he touched his chest. "Oh. Sorry..."

Bitty smiled, but his hand lingered on Jack's chest, only the washcloth between them. "It's perfectly fine."

Something about a plan? Right. Hockey. Graduation. Leaving Bitty. NHL. Jack felt an ache in his chest that had nothing to do with the cool cloth, but maybe something to do with the hand holding it there. Or rather, the man that hand belonged to.

Eric Bittle. The small hockey player who remembered everyone's birthdays and was the only reason the Haus no longer reeked of cheap beer. Or at least, the reason it smelled faintly like cheap beer, but also cinnamon. The young man with the soft blond hair who was always happy to join him for a cup of coffee or froyo. The one who sat quietly and listened whenever Jack needed to talk about what was on his mind, and hugged him when he was too upset to say.

When had they grown so close? When had Eric Bittle become a daily and necessary fixture in his life? Shit. No. This was not part of the plan. Hockey. NHL. Lifelong dream. Redemption. No room for deviation. He was not supposed to be getting distracted by pies, or feelings, or how attached he had become to the man who slept across the hall from him every night. Close and far at the same time. Eric Bittle. The man he loved more than anyone. Shit. Why was he only realizing this now?

Jack reached up and touched Bitty's cheek, guiding his face closer. "Jack? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I... Can I kiss you?"

Bitty nodded his head and leaned in for the kiss. His lips were soft and warm. Jack closed his eyes, hands drifting up to Bitty's waist like that was where they had always belonged. Bitty kept one hand pressed to Jack's chest and the other cradled the back of his head, fingers entwined in the older man's black hair.

"Jack, I'm sorry. You're not thinking straight. You're delirious and I'm taking advantage of that like some creep. I'm so sorry." He pulled back but Jack maintained his grip. "Jack...?"

"Taking advantage of me?"

Bitty broke and confessed everything in one breath. "I've liked you for a while now and you're probably my best friend here or anywhere actually and I know you're graduating soon and I thought I would be okay with that but the thought of not seeing you every day terrifies me and I don't want you to go but I'm so proud of you and you just kissed me and you're _oh lord_ you're in your underwear and I can't handle this and I should go before I kiss you again and I'm really sorr--"

Jack sat up, the cloth sliding from his forehead, and kissed Bitty once more. "I think I'm in love with you."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry I didn't realize until now. I've been trying so hard to stick to my plan and block out any distractions like relationships or love but you snuck in anyway. I saw you today, and realized... I'm incredibly attracted to you, and I enjoy every minute we spend together. Even when I'm having a bad day, you somehow make it better... I love you."

Bitty smiled, followed by a sad sigh. "Jack, you're not feeling well. You don't know what you're saying. Get some rest, okay?"

"I'm not sick."

"But your fever!"

"It's hot outside. I'm sure my temperature has gone down some already."

"But you were sweating and not making any sense!"

"Well, you're wearing those shorts, and..." Jack got distracted again when he looked down at Bitty's bare thighs.

" _What?!_ " Bitty could not believe what he was hearing.

"Sorry, I just really want-- Can I touch you? You can say no."

Yes, but..." Bitty grabbed the thermometer and shoved it back in Jack's mouth. "Only if your temperature is back to normal."

It was a long 30 seconds while Bitty waited for the tell-tale beep. "99.2 degrees, still a little higher than it should be..."

"So, does that mean... No?" One of Jack's hands slipped from Bitty's waist down to rest on his thigh. His thumb lightly brushing the blond man's skin.

Bitty put the thermometer back in its case. "Oh lord... It's close enough!" He tackled Jack back into his bed and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Two or three more prompts to go before I'm caught up to what I've posted on tumblr so far! (Just in time for another prompt request lol)


End file.
